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Saturday, July 20, 2013

HOME VAN JOURNAL 7.20/13

THE JUNE SURPRISE

For a long time about 100-150 people have been coming to Home Van meals,
with the numbers rising as we go toward the end of the month. In June we went
on our first driveout of the month and 225 people showed up – more than usual
out in the woods and a really big crowd downtown. I hoped it was an anomaly
since we are on the outer edge of how many people we can serve. We are the
Home Caravan these days, with Liz McCulloch’s car fitted out with the socks
boutique, candles, mylars, bug spray and batteries, and one or two other cars
carrying volunteers who cannot be crammed into the van itself.

It was not an anomaly – every driveout since has been enormous. These last
two driveouts we were saved from running out of food by a church group that
showed up. That won’t be true every week and I’m considering strategies for
coping with this situation. It is a terrible thing to have to turn hungry
people away. If anyone out there would like to make a few extra sandwiches for
us and drop them by, that would be welcome. Peanut butter sandwiches would be
fine, just don’t use crunchy peanut butter since a good many people have bad
teeth or no teeth. Extra fruit and boiled eggs are also very helpful. You can
give me a buzz at 372-4825, or email me, about this.

The buzz down at Bread of the Mighty Food Bank suggests that many groups
are experiencing a big rise in numbers. I am puzzled by news reportage that
things are getting better, homelessness is down, employment is up. We just
aren’t seeing it. I heard through the grapevine that a local trailer park
evicted 17 people recently. It all adds up. People who are evicted from their
homes have no choice but to go downtown – what else can they do – stand around
on the sidewalk somewhere? For some people, a bench on the downtown plaza has
become home.

PHOENIX RISING

Phoenix Rising, a new group in the community is partnering with the Home
Van. This past week several of our egg boilers were out of town and they
showed up with 15 dozen boiled eggs and some other items as well. Phoenix
Rising is an open community who
meets twice a month and are interested in spiritual growth and community
outreach by working with existing organizations. Their contact information is
email: roxaneb555@gmail.com

TENTS

I am getting many, many requests
for tents from people who are desperate to the point of anguish. Last week two
young women, one about six months pregnant, came by to get my last tent. the
young pregnant woman didn’t speak at all – she just stood on my steps looking
permanently stunned. Her friend chatted with me, expressing much gratitude. I
realized that this scene has taken on a kind of ghastly normality because I have
experienced it so many times.

I am hoping that there might be a
group out in the community – maybe a group connected to a band – who could do a
big tent benefit for the homeless community. We really need to have a hundred
or more tents in stock to cope with this situation, and in reality I rarely have
more than five or six tents available and often I have none. If anybody could
organize something like this, let me know.

THANK YOU

Many thanks to all the people who
have brought us bug spray and water. This is the worst mosquito season ever out
in the woods, so I hope people can continue with this outreach.

Thank you for being there for us –
so many of you, so often. That’s how we keep going.

The Home Van needs tents, tarps,
bottled water, bug spray,Vienna sausages, creamy peanut butter, jelly, candles,
white tube socks, batteries, and games. Call
352-372-4825 to arrange for drop off. Financial donations to the Home Van
should be in the form of checks made out to Citizens for Social Justice, Inc.,
earmarked for the Home Van, and mailed to 307 SE 6th Street, Gainesville, FL
32601, or can be made online at http://homevan.blogspot.com/

THE HOMEVAN IS A
PROJECT OF CITIZENS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE, INC. (FDACSREGISTRATION #CH35643). A
COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM
THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352)
WITHIN THE STATE.REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR
RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.

About Me

I'm a 13th-generation Vermonter who grew up in North Bennington. Now I live in Florida, where I coordinate an outreach mission, part of Citizens for Social Justice, which delivers food, clothing, friendship, and other necessities of life to homeless people in Gainesville. I write an email newsletter, with stories about our homeles friends. To read highlights from the Home Van Journal, visit my other blog, http://homevan.blogspot.com/